audible signals

The workshop in Drumheller was loads of fun and very invigorating.

Everyone was so enthusiastic, open-minded and eager to really experiment and have fun.  Our purpose was not so much to make a finished work of art, but rather to explore and gain ideas that might further evolve in our own art practices.  We discussed my paintings in the TREX exhibition, and I took the group through some sensory-awareness exercises before we began playing with collage and drawing techniques.  A very good spirit prevailed throughout the day.

Back to the city...

Cycling along the river early one morning last week, I saw an eagle on the ice.  First time I'd ever looked down on an eagle rather than up at one.  Its size sure puts those magpies in perspective, hey.  Seems they're all having dead duck for breakfast.

Meanwhile in the studio I can't seem to find out what I'm doing or why.  Too much repetition and not enough insight.  Well, isn't that how most problems evolve?  *laughs*

Should I kill it and sit myself down to breakfast?  Or should I do a little colour inversion and let my spirit wander on an empty stomach?

The former option seems sweeter... but the latter may bear more nourishing fruit in the end. 

And here we have a potentially useful thing:

 ... A focus button!

Later, alligator.

next stop: Drumheller!

I'm doing another workshop tomorrow!  Feeling quite excited about it:

Mostly I have been working with children, but this session will be all adults.  I've been envisioning how I might present my work and ideas to this group, how I might engage them in discussions about art, life and urban environments.

Yesterday I pulled out the Book of Cities and made another collage in order to photograph my process, showing how I build up the shapes step-by-step:

large broad shapes first

overlapping sheer papers

smaller, slightly denser shapes

small opaque shapes and lines

Later, I may add some drawing details to finish it up... or maybe not.  Kinda liking the simplicity of this one.

Today I will pre-cut some shapes to use for a demonstration of collage techniques.  I hope that by doing this, my demo piece will turn out nice instead of the kind of mash-up that often happens when I try to make art under many eyes!  *laughs*  

I'm looking forward to having a bit of time to further explore the town and area of Drumheller.  It's a very beautiful geography there, with cactus-strewn hills above a deep river valley.

Also, I will visit the Tyrell Museum!  Because dinosaur bones are cool!  And it's nice timing because in a couple of weeks I'll be doing a simple printmaking class based on fossils, with 7-8 year old students.  That'll be loads of fun.

In the studio these days, my recent work is under reflection.

More about that next time.  

Thanks as always for your interest, Reader.

:)

V